Life After Fair, Ennis, and Grant: What's on the Syracuse Basketball Horizon?

The early departures of Tyler Ennis and Jerami Grant have some fans on edge.

This has already been a tough offseason for Syracuse Basketball fans.  After Tyler Ennis announced his decision to leave for the NBA a few weeks ago, Jerami Grant has now decided to do the same.  Oh yeah, and UConn won it all... better than Kentucky maybe, but nonetheless pretty painful to watch.

At one point it seemed like there was so much potential for this Syracuse team, which as we all know makes the let down so much harder.  For the cynics who deny ever having high hopes for this team, I bring you back to Pittsburgh when we were all convinced that this might be a team of destiny:

Given the early departures, it's easy to understand why some might be low on 'Cuse hoops right now. However, we need to understand that this is simply the nature of college basketball.  Players come and they go, but what remains is the program that they have helped build.  Syracuse basketball isn't going anywhere, and fans should keep this in the front of their minds.  That being said, we are losing a lot of talent and next year really could be a crapshoot.  Here's an evaluation on both sides of the spectrum:

Why We Should Be Worried

-Fair, Ennis, Grant, Keita are all gone.  This is the obvious one.  With Ennis and Grant leaving early for the NBA, next year's roster is pretty much depleted in terms of established players.  We lose three out of our top four scorers, and over 62% of our total scoring.  We're left with question marks at pretty much every single position.

-Lack of proven players.  At point guard, we are totally dependent on an incoming freshman to come in and take over once again.  At forward, Tyler Roberson and incoming freshman Chris McCullough to be steady contributors offensively if this team is going to make the NCAA Tournament.  This is a big ask seeing as how neither of them have ever played relevant minutes at this level.  At center, Rakeem Christmas and DaJuan Coleman will have to hold down the paint.  In my eyes, this is another huge question mark, and the ceiling for scoring from this position is incredibly low.

Cooney struggled to find his shot
in the second half of the season.

-Trevor Cooney? Cooney started this year on fire, and things were looking up for the "sharp-shooting" sophomore.  Then things pretty much tanked.  Trevor was shooting just 19% from 3-pt land during The Orange's 2-5 skid to end the regular season.  I firmly believe this was significantly undervalued as a reason for the team's struggles.  So for next season, Cooney is probably Syracuse's most established player, which is a little bit frightening.  If he can't find some sort of consistency, next year could be a season from Hell.

Why We'll Be Fine

-Kaleb Joseph is impressing a lot of people recently.  It's a shame that Tyler Ennis set the bar so high, because it's not realistic to expect that out of a freshman point guard.  Regardless, the Kaleb Joseph hype is growing, and for good

reason.  Joseph just led Cushing High School to their second consecutive league championship with 24 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals in the title game.  It also seems like the young point guard has the intangibles.  Michael Hart, high school coach of Michael Carter-Williams, had this to say about Joseph:

"First of all, he's a winner. We had three years of battles with them, all of which were awesome. This year, in the semifinals, we had a four-point lead with 40 seconds left and Kaleb hit a three, then made a steal on one of our guys."

Kaleb Joseph might have the talent to come in as a freshman and lead this team to success. I guess we'll have to wait and see. In the meantime, we can all drool over this video:

                                              

-Chris McCullough is an elite recruit. Ranked 24th on ESPN's top 100 for the Class of 2014, many argue McCullough is one of the best recruits Syracuse has hauled since 'Melo. The Insider scouting report has this to say about the 6'10 power forward:

"McCullough is a very long and athletic forward with obvious upside. He runs the court with long fluid strides, gets off his feet quickly, and gets his head on the rim. He is equally mobile laterally and is consequently a potentially versatile defender down the road while also a dangerous weakside shot-blocker."

If McCullough can come in and produce as a freshman, Syracuse won't be missing Jerami Grant quite as much.

 

-Class of 2015. I think we've gotten a little greedy with our expectations lately. It seems like every year in recent memory, Syracuse has been a national title contender. For the first time in a while, we might be on the brink of a "rebuilding year," which really isn't the end of the world. Especially with the recruits we have coming in 2015.

Malachi Richardson leads a talented Class of 2015

A few days ago, Franklin Howard gave his verbal commitment to Syracuse, joining Malachi Richardson and Tyler Lydon in the Class of 2015. Howard is an athletic shooting guard who stands at 6'4, with great slashing ability that compliments his shot. Lydon is 6'8 power forward that stretches the defense with his ability to shoot the ball.

There's a chance Howard will see limited minutes as a freshman, not because he's not good enough, but because Malachi Richardson is the real deal. The 6'6 (allegedly) shooting guard is ranked 10th in ESPN's top 60 for his class, and scouts have raved about his stroke. ESPN.com scouts had this to say:

"He's established that he's a big guard who strokes threes with range but also handles efficiently, can make plays with the ball in his hands and makes good decisions with the ball. Richardson is a true shooting guard that can shoot the ball with deep range."

As a freshman, Richardson helped Roselle Catholic win a state title alongside current Syracuse freshman Tyler Roberson. These two could be a lethal combination when they're reunited in 2015.

While these three recruits are plenty to be excited about, the Class of 2015 might not end there. According to ESPN, Syracuse still has 5 stellar recruits who are listed as "considering." All of them are ranked in the top 30 for their class, including two in the top 15:

It's not really Syracuse's style, but landing any of these recruits would result in a Calipari-esque recruiting class.  I'm definitely not complaining.  

While the upcoming season could possibly be an epic disaster, there's also the chance of overachievement on the backs of our rookies.  Even if it doesn't work out, 2015 will bring bigger and better things to Syracuse.  I'm definitely not worrying about the future, and neither should you.

Have yourselves a prime offseason, 'Cuse fans. 

Round of 32: Syracuse vs. Dayton Preview

Ohio State transfer Jordan Sibert is
coming off of a huge win against his former team.  

I think we're all feeling a little bit better after Thursday's domination of Western Michigan...and I think we're feeling that much better because the Dayton Flyers knocked off Aaron Craft and Ohio State in the round of 64.

While yes, I would have loved nothing more than to avenge the 2012 Elite 8 loss to Jared Sullinger and the Buckeyes in the midst of the Fab Melo saga, but at the same time I'm more concerned with making it to the second weekend.  That being said, Dayton can flat out play, and Syracuse should not take them lightly.

Dayton's biggest strength is absolutely their depth.  They're technically 11 guys deep and no one on their team averages over 30 minutes per game.  They have four guys that shoot above 39% from three and that is just the beginning of their balanced scoring attack.

Devin Oliver is probably their best player, although Dayton lacks a star who can really take over the game.  Oliver is a balanced player who leads the Flyers in five statistical categories.  He's definitely the most consistent player on Dayton.

Next is 6-4 guard Jordan Sibert who can be an X-factor in this game for Dayton.  He shoots 43% from behind the arc which could cause problems for the Orange.  Vee Sanford is another key contributor off the bench, but once again I emphasize this is a very balanced scoring attack.

While Syracuse has been used to teams trying to slow it down against them, i.e. Villanova and Virginia, Dayton is a team that loves to run up and down. They will try and push the ball as much as possible and they're game is really up tempo.

Dayton is a physical team that knows
how to box out.

 On defense Dayton is a hard-nosed rebounding team and it can be tough to score inside because of their physicality and length.  However, their opponents shoot free throws on almost 44% of their field goal attempts so Syracuse is going to have to make free throws if they want to move on to the second weekend.

All in all I think this has the potential to be a great game.  Dayton likes to get after it on offense and bang around on defense.  I think this matchup is a good test for Syracuse and it's good for them to see a team like this before playing Kansas.  IMO, Syracuse will take this one 79-74.

South Region Breakdown

South Region of the
2014 NCAA Tournament

'Cuse got a 3 seed.  I'm actually kind of happy about that.  I was envisioning a 4-5 with the way we came into this tournament.  So that 3 seed means that Syracuse draws the 14th-seeded Broncos of Western Michigan.  So knowing what we know about Syracuse's current play let's take a look at the South Regional bracket and look at the odds that 'Cuse has to get out of it.

Best First (I still refuse to call it Second) Round Matchups

Pitt is a team that can ruin some
brackets if they get on a run

There are two games that peak my interest in the South bracket.  The first of which is the 8-9 matchup between #9 Pittsburgh and #8 Colorado.  Colorado is a team that has some good wins.  Some wins that jump off the page, and one that really peaks the interest is 3 point win over then #6 Kansas.  The major problem is that the Buffs lost their best player.  Spencer Dinwiddle went down January 12 with a season ending knee injury.  Most of Colorado's major wins came before that event and the Buffs are still trying to figure out who they are without Dinwiddle.  Then there is Pittsburgh.  1st I just want to reiterate my hate for Jamie Dixon and his "I can stand on the court when I want" mentality...anyways I digress.  Back to the team.  They are a good squad.  Lamar Patterson is the absolute real deal, 17.6 ppg., 4.8 rpg., and 4.3 apg.  I mean the real deal.  And they have some quality wins and losses.  They have wins over UNC and Maryland, as well as, 4 or less point losses twice to Viginia and twice to 25-0 streaking Syracuse.  My pick in this game is Pitt just because the ACC prepares teams better for the tournament better than the Pac-12, and they also have better overall wins.

Dayton has the chance
to shock the world

The second game peaking my interest is #6 Ohio State and #11 Dayton.  The Flyers are 2-1 vs. AP Top 25 teams.  That one loss coming in a 1-point loss Baylor.  Starting February 1, the team went on a 10-2 run, with both losses coming against eventual A-10 champion St. Joe's.  Through the season their shooting a fairly impressive 46.6% from the field and the point scoring is fairly spread around, with 4 players scoring 9.9 ppg or higher.  Ohio State on the other hand did not end the season the way they started it.  The team limped to a 10-8 record in the Big 10 and a 25-9 record overall.  Not exactly what Thad Matta had in mind at the beginning of the season.  Now LaQuinton Ross leads the Buckeyes in both points and rebounds, but don't be fooled, the real unquestioned leader of this team is Aaron Craft.  Yes Cuse fans, that dreaded little white dude with a motor that could drive a Lambo.  Craft is, well, crafty.  The kid flat out has the clutch gene and comes through when it counts.  The team itself even beat Michigan State, the team many people are seeing as this years favorite for the ship.  Also the winner of this matchup will play the winner of 'Cuse-WMU so keep an eye on this one.

Potential Upsets 

I see a few potential upsets in the South Brackets.  The first being what I just talked about, Dayton over OSU.  Dayton has nothing to lose and they're still stinging after another tough loss to St. Joe's.  They have the potential to beat the Buckeye's if they spread the scoring out and speed the game up.  OSU only scores 69 points per game this season, 208 in the nation.  If Dayton can get out in transition and hit a high percentage from 3 land, this could be your 11-6 upset.  The next one I see is down the line a little.  Florida, I feel, is the weakest of the #1 seeds.  They play in the SEC, and this year they played in the SEC when Kentucky was more or less awful.  Yes they beat Kansas and Memphis, but they lost to UConn and Wisconsin.  If Pitt can beat Colorado, I think they pose a real threat to the Gators.  That being said I think that would be as far as the Panthers could go as they would lose to either VCU or UCLA in the Sweet 16.

Sleeper

At the risk of sounding like a broken record my major sleeper is Dayton.  The other option is the 12 seed, Stephen F. Austin.  The Lumberjacks are 31-2 and their only losses are to Texas (good loss) and ETSU (bad loss).  They finished the season on a 28 game win streak, and haven't lost since Nov 23.  Granted they play in the Southland Conference, but 28 wins is 28 wins, thats tough to do.  If the team can string together some quality runs during the game, VCU could be in a world of trouble.

Winner

Scottie Wilbekin and the Gators
should be dancing in Dallas

You guys all know that I have a bracket with Syracuse in the Final Four, strolling of of the South after wins over WMU, OSU, Kansas, and Florida.  But let's be realistic, the way the Orange have been playing I'm afraid of Western Michigan.  In my bracket to win the Billion I have the Gators coming out of the bracket.  I think this is because this is an easy bracket for them.  Florida scores over 70 points per game, and can drop 80 with ease if given room to run.  The Gators have an easy path to the Final four if they can get past Pittsburgh in the 2nd (3rd) round.

All that being said, CUSE BETTER GET THEIR SHIT TOGETHER!!!! I DON'T LIKE LOSING!

-Your Orange Foreign Correspondent
  Ron 

Keep the Orange juices flowin'

ACC Tournament: What To Watch For

As Notre Dame and Wake Forest have tipped off in round 1, it's officially ACC Tournament time.  Freshmen try and prepare themselves for the madness of March, and seniors put on their jerseys knowing it could be the last time they do so.

It's definitely a little weird that we aren't on our way to The Garden with a potential matchup against UConn or Georgetown looming, but there's still a lot to look forward to this week:


1. From Madison Square Garden to Greensboro Coliseum

ACC Player of the Year TJ Warren
will need to pull off a magical run for NC State
to have a chance on Selection Sunday.

The 15 team bracket is a new look for the ACC, who welcomes Syracuse, Pittsburgh, and Notre Dame this year.  Notre Dame is playing for pride at this point as the loss of Jerian Grant pretty much took them out of contention a while ago.  Pittsburgh is fighting for their NCAA tournament lives, and with Lamar Patterson's hand 100% healthy, they could once again be dangerous.  And finally Syracuse, who makes a habit of using conference tournaments to regain their mid-season form.

While the three newcomers are used to playing in the physical, fast-paced, backyard brawl-esque Big East Tournament, I don't think the fun in Greensboro will be all that different.

While the ACC certainly has its own style, there are plenty of similarities to previous seasons in the Big East.  Isn't Virginia a carbon copy of the all too familiar 'Nova teams known for a slow pace and defense?  Could ACC Player of the Year, TJ Warren, pull a "Kemba" and lead NC State from the bubble to an NCAA Tournament bid?  There are the four clear cut heavy weights who receive double byes, and then there's the upset-hungry middle tier playing to keep their post-season dreams alive.

The ACC has plenty of talent across the board that could make this week just as ridiculous as any BET in recent memory.

2. Quarterfinal Friday Could Be Dangerous For Top Four

There's no question that this ACC Tournament means a lot to the four NCAA locks in Virginia, UNC, Duke, and Syracuse for different reasons.  However, it means more for the few teams that are sitting atop, or just off of, the bubble.

I would be surprised to see any team playing on Wednesday upset a top 8 seed given the drop-off of talent towards the bottom of the ACC.  Therefore, there's is big chance that Friday's match-ups will all be "bubble vs. lock", which never fails to entertain.


Pittsburgh, Clemson, NC State, Maryland, and Florida State are all bubble teams.  Pittsburgh has the best shot at making the field, but if they can't beat UNC they might be left disappointed on Selection Sunday as their resume features only one win against the top 50.

Florida State will probably need two wins this week to get in, and the rest of the the previously mentioned ACC bubble teams will need a magical run to the ACC Championship game to get into the discussion.

Lunardi says Pitt is in, Lamar Patterson
isn't going to take his word for it.

Prospectively, Friday's slate of games could be:

-1 Virginia vs. 8 Maryland/9 Florida State

With one of Virginia's two conference losses coming to Maryland last Sunday, a rematch between the two schools on Friday would be fun to watch.  Add the fact that this is Maryland's last ACC Tournament before heading to the Big Ten, and you've got the potential for a thriller.

-4 UNC vs. 5 Pittsburgh

This game is most intriguing of all as Pitt will be playing to lock up an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.  UNC is looking to get back to the ACC Championship after losing to Miami last year, and I doubt they'll take the Panthers lightly.  Look for Marcus Paige and Lamar Patterson to light up the score sheet in this one.

-2 Syracuse vs. 7 NC State

Fresh off his anointment of ACC POTY, TJ Warren is looking to keep his season alive.  Warren dropped 23 in the first matchup between these two teams back in mid-February, in a game that saw a last second layup by CJ Fair win it for The Orange.  This is a tough draw for struggling Syracuse, who will have to put down the desperate Wolfpack if they want to head into the NCAAs with any confidence whatsoever.

-3 Duke vs. 6 Clemson

Clemson handed Duke a huge loss on January 11th that served as a needed wake up call for the Blue Devils, who would go on to win nine of their next ten.  First Team All-ACC forward, KJ McDaniels, is a beast who is capable of taking over any game just like he did in the previously mentioned game against Duke (24 pts, 10 reb).

Coming off of a loss to lowly Wake Forest, Duke responded by downing North Carolina at Cameron.  Jabari Parker is playing with a chip on his shoulder after being snubbed in the race for ACC Player of The Year.  If that isn't motivation enough, a win in this one could mean a winner take all grudge match against newly established rival Syracuse, which leads me to...


3. 'Cuse - Duke III (Knock On Wood)

Last season, rival Georgetown smoked us in The Dome and then dominated us in the regular season finale.  I was positive that a third meeting with the Hoyas at The Garden would be a storybook ending to such a great rivalry and nothing could ever possibly compare to the way---I'll stop myself there: I was so wrong.

I'm hands down more excited to (possibly) see Syracuse-Duke Part 3.  If both teams win their quarterfinal matchup on Friday, this wish will be granted.  After the overtime thriller on February 1st followed by Boeheim's epic freakout, I don't think there could be anything better than an ACC semifinal game to decide the first of many season series.

CJ Fair puts in what he thought would be the game winning basket, the refs thought otherwise.

We've witnessed the beginning of what's to be a legendary rivalry.  After all, even John Thompson and the Hoyas couldn't get Jimmy B to flip his lid in such a fashion.  The rematch at Cameron drew 4.2 million viewers for ESPN, after the first game between the two had the fourth largest TV audience for a college basketball game since 2002.

I think it's safe to say that EVERYONE wants to see this third game happen... Plus, we all knew that it couldn't actually end in a 1-1 tie after the worst call of the season.



Predictions:


I think with Jerami Grant back and CJ Fair on fire, Syracuse is the team to beat in this tournament.  I'm taking UNC over Virginia and Syracuse over Duke in the semis.

Syracuse beats UNC 72-69 in the ACC Championship:  Ennis > Paige

Go Orange!












~Ted Gioia

Fair, Grant Shine In Route Of FSU

Jerami Grant looked 100% in his return.

It's good to have Jerami Grant back, let's just start there...  Grant played 35 minutes and contributed 16 points and 8 rebounds in his first game back from a nagging back injury.

I think we all knew Syracuse probably wasn't going anywhere without a healthy Jerami Grant, who is projected to be a lottery pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.  Grant used his size and athleticism to dominate the boards and knife along the baseline for buckets, as always.

The full strength Orange dominated Florida State on both ends of the floor, and earned its first 15 point victory since Janurary 7th against Virginia Tech.  While Grant's return is encouraging, nothing pleases me more than the play of CJ Fair, who was just named First Team All-ACC.

In CJ's final regular season game, he scored 22 points on 9 of 13 shooting, and pulled in 7 rebounds.  This is coming off of his 28 point explosion in the loss to Georgia Tech on Senior Night.  He looks like he's ready to will this team deep into the NCAA Tournament, and after three years of waiting, I think it's long over due for CJ to be "the guy" in March.  Don't forget he was the only reason for Syracuse even being close in that Final Four game against Michigan last year.

CJ Fair has scored 50 points over his last two games.

Trevor Cooney... what gives man?  After struggling early in this one, missing a pair of wide open three balls, Cooney actually found his shot late in the game coming up with two huge triples to bury FSU.  Regardless, Trevor was still 3 of 13 from the field and a dismal 2 of 8 from 3.  All signs are pointing to confidence issues shooting the ball, which is the epitome of the (not so) sharp shooter's freshman campaign.

What made the difference in this one though was Syracuse's defense and transition game.

Syracuse held its Florida State to just 38% from the field on Sunday, after letting Georgia Tech and Virginia go off for 48% and 50%, respectively.  Fair and Ennis combined for 7 of the teams 9 steals, and the 2-3 zone looked stingy once again.

For the first time in recent memory, Syracuse used the 2-3 to generate offense.  Ennis did a great job of running the court and slicing to the basket for easy buckets on the fast break.  We even saw Jerami Grant throw up an absolutely filthy alley for Christmas, which ended quite favorably for the Orange.

Now let's all in unison let out a big sigh of relief as it seems Syracuse has remembered how to play elite basketball again.  With the ACC Tournament looming this week, it is great to see these guys get back to their old ways of dominating inferior opponents and closing out games for a change.

Syracuse will be the number 2 seed in the ACC Tournament, which means a double bye and a matchup on Friday with the winner of NC State and Miami/Virginia Tech.  If both Syracuse and Duke advance in the quarterfinals, they will square off against each other on Saturday for an all too fitting 3rd meeting to decide the season series.

While it's clearly no Big East Tournament at The Garden, this should be a great week for the ACC.  I'm taking 'Cuse over UNC in the finals.

~Ted Gioia

Shutdown in Charlottesville

SU MEN'S LAX FALLS TO UVA 17-12

G Dominic Lamolinara (14 saves) played well in a loss at Virginia

SU goalie Dominic Lamolinara jumped up and down in pure frustration, as Virginia players celebrated just outside of his crease late in the 4th quarter. Cavaliers attackman Mark Cockerton had just fired home his 4th goal of the night to give UVA a commanding 5-goal lead. For Coach John Desko and his squad, an alarming realization was just beginning to set in.

Just two weeks after being voted the #1 team in the nation in the NCAA Coaches' Poll, the Orange was going to fall to 0-2 in ACC Conference play. 

Welp, no one ever said this whole new conference was going to be easy.

WHAT HAPPENNED

The nightcap of the Syracuse/Virginia doubleheader started off well-enough for the Orange. Middie Hakeem Lecky (4G 0A) stormed down the right alley and buried a shot past Virginia goalie Matt Barrett (5 saves) to open the game's scoring. Kevin Rice (2G 0A) and Henry Schoonmaker (2G 1A) would follow with a goal each to give SU an early 3-0 advantage.

But Virginia would respond with a run of its own, scoring 5 straight goals to close out the 1st quarter. The Cavaliers were led on offense by attackman James Pannell (7G 0A). The sophomore, who is the younger brother of former Cornell superstar Rob Pannell, was dialed in throughout the night.

The two teams traded goals throughout the 2nd quarter, and the Wahoos entered half time with an 8-6 lead. 

SU came out strong in the 2nd half, and attackman Randy Staats (2G 2A) ultimately tied the game at 9-9 with 7:39 left in the 3rd quarter. Unfortunately for the Orange, it was all downhill from there. 

Virginia used a dominant run at the face-off X to load up on time of possession and score 8 of the game's last 11 goals, en route to a 17-12 victory.

YOU CAN'T SCORE WITHOUT THE BALL

For the 2nd straight game SU was completely and utterly dominated at the face-off X and in time of possession. It seems as if John Desko is done hiding his frustration with starting face-off specialist Chris Daddio, as the head coach employed 4 different face-off men against the Cavaliers. 

It didn't matter who the Orange went with against UVA - none of them had success. Daddio won just 5 of 22 face-offs, and Mike Iacono, Austin Wentworth and Peter Macartney combined to win just 2 of 9 face-offs.  

That being said, it's beginning to look like another underlying problem for the Orange is its inability to pick up ground balls. Virginia won the ground ball battle with an astounding margin of 51-22. 

If this Syracuse team can't find a way to get its star studded offense more time of possession, the Orange is headed for an under-achieving season. 

NEXT UP

The Orange travels to Atlanta, Georgia to take on St. John's in the Cobb County Classic on Saturday, March 8th. 

Like me, you're probably wondering why Syracuse agreed to travel 7 states south to take on an in-state rival. I would assume it's because it's warm(er) there.

Glad this awful run of SU sports came just in time for midterms *sobs silently*.

~ Kevin Case

A Bit of Rest for the Weary

After a rough week for SU the team stopped their first losing streak of the season at 2, winning by 2 at the Comcast Center last night.  As my partner Ted told you all in his post after the Duke loss, it is not time to panic yet.  That statement still stands.  Now even though my heart palpitations just stopped about an hour ago because of yet ANOTHER close game, the team had some positives that they can build on after such a dreadful last few games.

CJ was back to his old ways
last night at Maryland
Photo Credit: ESPN

First thing to build on is CJ Fair played like CJ Fair.  That is something that the wonderful fans of the Syracuse Orange have been devoid of for the last few weeks.  CJ has made a few big plays here and there but last night he was back and doing CJish type things again.  He started the game off with 10 points in the first 14 minutes, scoring once on back to back plays as we have grown accustomed to seeing.  He also made a step back 3 in crunch time as the shot clock was running down.  And he finished the last 4 minutes with 4 fouls, playing smart, fundamental, Boeheimian basketball.

Another thing that we can find a bit of hope in is the fact that SU won without Jerami Grant.  Grant has been one of the shining stars this season and has taken a permanent spot in the starting lineup.  He tweaked his back in the Duke game and only played 13 minutes last night.  So it proved that SU can beat a mediocre team without one of our best players, which sounds a bit stupid but until about 3rd round of the ACC tourney and the Sweet 16 of the NCAAs, SU will be playing mediocre teams.  My point being SU still has that grind it out mentality and can win when the cards aren't exactly in their favor.  Speaking of cards another one that hasn't been in the SU's favor lately is Trevor Cooney's shooting.  He started off hot last night but went ice cold until his fade away at the end of the game.

The other two things we can take away from last night's game is that SU led by double digits at one point and they get some much needed rest. While the team did give us all another heart attack last night with their 11th game decided by 6 points or less, they did show spurts of ability to blow a team out...while it didn't last long, it was there at one point. I think. Sorta. Maybe I just want it to happen so bad that I'm delusional. Anyways, I digress. What we can all agree on is the fact that this Monday-Saturday rest time will be much needed.  The team can finally regroup, get Grant's back checked, rest Baye's knee a bit more, and all around figure themselves out a bit.

All I know is that something tells me that this game vs. Virginia will be epic.  With first place in the ACC on the line against a team that has already beaten Pitt, UNC, and Notre Dame twice, the game has the makings of something big.  Hopefully the positives will outweigh the negatives this Saturday night.

Keep the Orange juices flowin'!

-Your Orange Foreign Corespondent
  Ron